


Undergraduate

by Ange_Screams



Series: MDSkul Shenanigans: A JuBan Medical School Alternate Universe [1]
Category: A3! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Medical School, Animal Husbandry Major Banri, Banri is Afraid of Corpses, Best Professor Izumi, Bio Major Juza, Chicken Sakyo, Currian Izumi, Day 6 - AU Day, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, Gen, Have Mercy on Taichi, JuBan Week 2020, Just Banri Thingz, Juza's Weird Review Techniques, Kneehorn Banri, M/M, More tags later, Not Stinky but still a Gamer Itaru, Pining, Pining Banri, Pre-DVM Banri, Pre-Med Student, Sakyo you're 35 not retiring, So much pining Banri, Swimmers for now, Tenma is still very directionally challenged, Terror Professor Sakyo, so much pining, undergraduate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:20:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26924260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ange_Screams/pseuds/Ange_Screams
Summary: Once and for all, Banri will settle their ties and prove he's unbeatable.
Relationships: Chigasaki Itaru & Settsu Banri, Chigasaki Itaru/Utsuki Chikage, Furuichi Sakyou/Tachibana Izumi, Hyoudou Juuza & Settsu Banri, Hyoudou Juuza & Settsu Banri & Nanao Taichi & Sumeragi Tenma, Hyoudou Juuza/Settsu Banri, Hyoudou Kumon & Izumida Azami, Hyoudou Kumon & Settsu Banri, Hyoudou Kumon/Izumida Azami, Nanao Taichi & Sumeragi Tenma
Series: MDSkul Shenanigans: A JuBan Medical School Alternate Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1964539
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	1. Meet the Protagonists

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Not completely accurate with the Japanese curriculum.

He can see it. The bright white lights, the glint of metal in his hand, and the green gown the patient is wearing. Yes, he can see it clearly. The day when he can be hands-on in helping other people.

_“Hyodo! 100 meters cool down! You’ve done more than your allotted meters today.”_

He hears his coach’s voice as he grabs on to the edge of the pool to rest for a bit. He makes a few bubbles later on and begins his cool down. 

It’s his last university intramurals so he is dead set on winning against his Animal Husbandry Major archnemesis. From their freshman year to last school year, they always tied times in their events. 50 meters freestyle, 200 meters individual medley, heck, even in 1,500 meters freestyle, they have the same times. He hasn’t actually met the guy. Nope. In all those years they’ve been swimming lane-by-lane, he never got to see the face beneath the goggles and the swim cap. Though, he did memorize those back muscles of his. He’s not being a creep, okay? He just tends to label human anatomy in preparation for his enrollment to med school in the next year. He tries to name each muscle he sees so they could come naturally to him. So totally not a creep, just a Biology Student studying anatomy. Nothing weird about it.

As he does his last tumble turn and sprints his list 50 meters, he thinks of ways to finally win their unspoken rivalry.

* * *

_“Banri! There you are! Intramurals are next week and you haven’t even visited the pool once!”_

People around him were eyeing him and his senior as he is being given an earful about his passiveness towards his chosen sport for the annual Intramurals. He’s an all-rounder actually. Put him in any individual sport and he will come on top of it. He’s been assigned in all racket games to test him, and he nabs the gold from the seasoned veterans. He’s also been scouted by the university’s varsity teams, but he tells them he’s too lazy to practice. So, even if he’s a sports maniac, he doesn’t really have a chosen sport. Well, that was until he was put in the swim team at the last minute. 

There, he met his rival, According to his seniors, he’s been in the swim team since his high school days. Which means he’s a veteran of the pool. _(Weird wording, senpai, but okay.)_ He takes the opportunity to brag how this seasoned warrior loses to him, but it never happens. Three university intramurals later, they still tied times and he never brought down the king.

Their rivalry is now known throughout the whole university. Swimming day becomes the most anticipated and watched sports. Teachers and students would flock around the pool to witness this rivalry. The odd thing about their rivalry going viral amongst the students is that he never got a name or a picture of this rival. Even though the gossip channels, he never gets a wind of him except his course--BS Biology.

Three years into this unspoken rivalry, and he WILL come on top of it. That is, if he finds the motivation to. If he did, his much smaller, female senior wouldn’t glare at him and pull at his ear.

Upon reaching the pool, there is one person whose stroke seems too familiar for him. The fluttering of the legs and the pulling of the arms were too close for comfort. He was about to figure it out when his senior from earlier dragged him under an umbrella, making him miss the scent of the swimmer he was watching.

_“After the Bio team finishes their cooldown, you go in there and do some laps. Got it?” With the mention of the course, he swings his head back to the pool but is kept in place by a hand._ _(She’s so tiny, but_ ** _man_** _, is she strong.)_

_“Do you understand?”_ she glares at the much taller junior and hands him a piece of paper. _“I’ll be doing the same thing so don’t you dare laze off. I want to see beautiful swimming! Not that lame excuse of arm-flapping you do.”_

_“Geez, Ange-nee, I’m not freaking Haruka.”_

When he looks back at the pool the swimmer is nowhere in sight he heaves a sigh and heads to the pools shower rooms.

* * *

Juza emerges from the shower room to see a familiar silhouette at the far end of the pool. He can only see his back but he knows it's familiar from the shape of it. And because he sees a petite woman seemingly scolding him. During their joint practices, he listens to Ange-san's rants about an underclassman who never joins training. He is about to approach the pair, but his phone rang and his thesis advisor's assistant’s name appears on the screen.

_“Yes, Kita-san. I’ll be there in a few. Training just finished.”_

_“It’s training day? You don’t have to force yourself then. I can tell Doc we’ll look at the slides tomorrow.”_

_“No, thank you, Kita-san. I’d rather finally get it over with than do it some other time. See you in a few.”_

_“Okay. Suit yourself. See you! Oh! And please take a shower first before coming here.”_

He does a last glimpse of the pool and sees his so-called rival do a dive and swim at such a speed. He gets scolded by Ange-san criticizing his “arm-flapping.” He smiles at the sight of it and says to himself,

_“Man, I’m gonna miss that once I graduate.”_

* * *

_“Stop! Stop! Banri, what kind of swimming is that?! You’re in the mid lane, but the water still reaches the side of the pool? I’m telling you, Hyodo’s form is leagues better than yours!”_

There she goes again with that name. Ever since that swimming event three years ago, he heard the name often but never saw the face behind the name. 

He does a quick social media search and finds an account under the name, Juza Hyodo. He assumes he hits the jackpot, but all he sees is a bunch of shared posts from an online bakery, and that one picture of the purple-haired kid he often sees at the oval of their university. He once tried to approach the kid, but he never got the chance, so he let it be. Though, what really frustrates and annoys him beyond his wits is that even in official posts of the school about the wonder-swimmer, he does not have a proper picture that doesn’t have goggles and a swim cap on. Since then, he has tried to look for a face. It took him about the whole second semester of his first year before he was told to give up by the same senior that was supposed to be their college’s student coach, who has the upper hand by knowing that Hyodo guy personally through the varsity team. 

_“One more mention of Hyodo and I will seriously fight you. I don’t care if you’re smaller than me, but. I. WIll. Fight you.”_ It’s an empty threat really, but he goes for it anyway.

_“Just you try or I’ll seriously make you compete in a T-Back.”_

_“OKAY, OKAY! I’ll swim properly now! Geez.”_

_“Good.”_

_He stares at the water for a minute, then asks,_

_“Ne, Ange-nee, why is it that Hyodo still doesn’t have pictures even until now?”_

_“He says it’s because he looks scary. His words, not mine. But really, he’s such a sweet, shy guy. I won’t introduce him to you though. Maybe if you beat him, then I might consider it.”_

He thinks about what she said and uses it to fuel his tank.

_“The heck. I bet I’m better looking than that doof.”_

_“Nope. He’s far more handsome than you. Now go! You still have to improve your time for the 1,500-meter freestyle!”_

He scoffs at that comment but swims away, pacing his breath so he wouldn’t drown from swimming 1,500 meters straight.


	2. Intramurals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's D-day.

D-Day—more like a week—finally lands on them. The first thing on their schedule is the parade. As Banri goes looking for his college’s line for the parade, he passes by the College of Arts and Sciences group. With all his six-foot glory, he scans for a man that he might think a certain Hyodo would look like and sees none. 

_ So, he doesn’t even attend these even if varsities are required? Tch. _

The man he was looking for was actually right behind him that time, wearing a cap that covers his face, and a face mask that covers his nose and mouth.

_ “Oi, Hyodo! There you are! I thought you wouldn’t be able to come!”  _ His classmate pulls him in line for their class. 

_ “Coach told me it was mandatory for varsities, and I should show him proof that I went to it.”  _

His classmate laughs at his coach’s order and moves on to guide their next classmate to their class’ proper lines.

* * *

_ “There you are Settzer~! Ange nee-chan has been looking for you!”  _

Another senior that—kind of, maybe—keeps him in check is the college’s “art person” and the college paper’s whole art department. He’s also a big name in their university, as he does blog posts and pictures as some sort of promotion. Let’s just say that he really loves taking pictures and updating his followers on what a veterinarian in the making does on and off school.

_ “Why is it that she doesn’t leave me alone?”  _

_ “You have a tendency to run off and laze about with that very passive attitude of yours, that’s why.”  _

_ Ah, speak of the devil. _

_ “After this parade, we’ll head straight to the pool for some warm-ups before it’s filled with students.” _

_ “Aye, aye.” _

And so, the parade starts. They walk from the main gate to the oval, but the swim team sneaked out of it to go and start their warm-ups. When they reach the pool, other colleges are warming up as well. It’s only the first day of the competition, but there’s a large audience already. 

Ange walks off to greet the swim coach, a buff man with olive-green hair, so he follows her as well.

_ “Coach Tax! Here are the forms for today’s events.”  _

_ “Ah. Thanks, Ange. Is Settsu here joining all the events Hyodo’s in?” _

_ “Hahaha! You know it!” _

_ “After all these years he still can’t beat him, huh. Well, this is your last chance, boy. That is if he decides to continue his med school here.” _

_ “Oh! So he’s decided on continuing to medicine? That’s great to hear!” _

_ “Uh-huh. He told me earlier that he’ll think about staying in the team once he graduates from Bio.”  _

Banri draws out their conversation as a light bulb flickers in his mind. He puts it in his mind’s checklist for “Topics to Search About Just In Case.” Depending on the competition’s outcome, he’ll look more into this med school their university has.

* * *

The first event in his roster is the 200-meter individual medley. Not many colleges have representatives for it, so his usual opponents are from the colleges of Education, Medicine, and of course, Veterinary Science and Medicine. 

Banri Settsu, a fourth-year Animal Husbandry student, has always tried to beat his record, but it always ends with a tie. It greatly frustrates Juza that there was someone who was on par with him in his game for that long, so this year, he vows to beat the guy once and for all. He trained hard and conditioned his body for his events. He almost lived with the pool’s guard by how frequent he visits and how much time he stays in the area. 

This year, there are only three contestants for this event. Sciences at the second lane, Education at the third, and lastly, Veterinary Science and Medicine at the fourth. The Education swimmer smirks at his lane placement. He deems himself lucky to have the mid-lane so he’ll be the least affected with the waves. Little did he know, he might as well be the third-wheeler at this certain arrangement.

The first whistle signals them to step the ramp. The second, their diving positions. When the third whistle sounds, they all dive and start swimming. First is the butterfly stroke. 

The Education student is already showing signs of fatigue after the first fifty meters of the event. His other two opponents are already on the way to their 100th meter using the breaststroke. But he won’t give up. He’s not in it for the award, so he’ll keep swimming. He’s halfway in his breaststroke lap when his opponents pass him in their backstroke. He’s thinking about how those two are freaking swimming maniacs, especially the one from the Vet Med. His swimming is causing all the waves in the pool, and even getting some of the audience at the side of the pool wet, in contrast to the beautiful and elegant way the Bio student is swimming. Man, he wants to know that guy’s secret. When he tumble turns to his backstroke lap, he catches glimpses of the faces on his left and right. The Bio student’s goggles seemed to have slipped off its place, making him swim with his eyes closed. The other one seemed to be pushing himself to just catch up the Bio guy. When he finally finishes his back and free laps and ascends from the pool, his batch mates console him about not winning. He just tells them that it was unnecessary since any event those two would be in would turn into their own battle. Which is proven at the last event of the day, 50 meters butterfly. All of the pool’s lanes are filled, but no one could stop the Bio and Vet Med representative. Once again, they tied for the first place. The Vet Med rep can be seen lounging about and cheering for his fellow swimmers, but the Bio rep is nowhere to be found. 

It happened again on the second day with their individual events, but in the team events, Vet Med took most of them. With a rigorous training regime and a “passionate” student coach, how wouldn’t they? Anyway, this day, Banri couldn’t see the familiar back of his Bio rival. 

_ “He is such a tall and bulky man, but he’s really good at hiding, huh.”  _ Banri talks to himself as he sips on his energy drink, with a towel on his head. 

_ “Who are you talking about, Settzer?”  _ Kazunari appears by his side in all his white uniform glory. 

_ “That Hyodo guy Ange-nee keeps talking about. We just beat their ass in the relay, but I don’t see a person who could look like him.” _

_ “That’s because he only arrives when it’s his time to swim, and immediately leaves the area after swimming.”  _

Well, that’s a nice piece of information. He looks up to his senior, and asks,

_ “How do you even know about this, Kazunari?” _

Kazunari takes his phone out, and says, 

_ “Well, it’s one of the university’s mysteries! I wrote about it 3 years ago when I found out about him through Ange! He doesn’t show his face, nor does he have any internet data on his face. The IT department for making IDs may have one, but they won’t give that, of course.” _

Even after all these years, that man was still able to hide his identity. And even after all these years, Banri still couldn’t put a face to the name. Little by little, his resolve is turning into something tangible.

The second day was done, and Juza was exhausted, but he had to go home and do some emergency supply runs for his mother. He arrived just in time to swim for their team's relay and left as soon as he was done. His mother runs an online bakery of sorts, and he and his brother are her errand boys when it comes to the ingredients. This happens most of the time so Coach Tasuku wasn't really surprised his star swimmer is nowhere to be found. Even during official competitions, he would only appear either in full swimming gear or when he's about to compete and leave the premises due to some emergencies.

The third and last day dawns on the competitors at the university swimming pool. The word spread like wildfire (thanks to Kazunari, really) when people found out about the first event of the day—1,500 meter freestyle men. Students and faculties alike flock the area, wanting to witness what could be the most heated battle between two rival swimmers from different colleges. Yes, there are only two competitors for this event, because anyone in the circle knows it's their time to have a battle all for themselves. 

Standing behind the ramp of Lane 2, Banri tries to taunt his opponent.

_ "Oi, Hyodo. This time, I'll beat you for sure." _

His competitor at Lane 5 turns his head at him, and does a hand gesture saying, "Bring it on." Banri smirks at this and looks toward the end of the pool. There, Ange and Kazu stand in wait just in case of an emergency. 

The first sound of the whistle is blown; they stand on the ramp. Second, they position themselves to dive. Third, they're doing the dolphin kick to gain speed and momentum.

As Banri ascents from his dolphin and starts doing the freestyle, he frantically does messy pulls. When he reaches the end wall of the pool to do a tumble turn, he hears a short scold about his arms flapping and breathing pattern from his coach. He finally relaxes in a rhythm and produces fewer waves. 

Juza, on the other hand, is doing… swimmingly. His arm pulls are calculated, yet elegant, and his flutter kicks are steady but fast. He only goes up for air every three or four pulls. It's a long event, so really, he's just trying to converse as much energy as he can for when he needs it. 

700 meters in and Banri is starting to feel tired. He thinks maybe it's because he never listened to Ange about training, and confirms that, yeah. It is that, but he doesn't allow that to bring him down. No. He'll keep pushing until he's beaten that wonder swimmer.

During this lap, Juza thinks about his past. Ever since he was a kid, he's been feared by his peers. His taller physique is a magnet for bullies to pick fights with him. After that one time, he was sent to the guidance counselor's office after defending himself, he would walk to school in a hoodie, cap, and a face mask. He would only take them off when the teacher tells him to. And when he does, whispers from his classmates about his delinquent looks would fill the room. It makes him feel worse than he usually is.

Despite his scary looks, he's actually a sweet, shy, and diligent boy. Oftentimes, the school librarian spots him in his favorite cubicle, rewriting his notes from class or reading a book about biology or the human body. He even does a small smile every time he returns a book. Even some teachers can testify about his soft nature, as he can be spotted feeding the stray cat that visits the school garden and seen carrying his mother’s groceries when they’re out on a supply run. 

Another thing about him is behind the intimidation gazes, he has this grand dream of becoming a doctor. He wants his looks to be overlooked by his skills in the medical field. As early as middle school, he has been preparing to take on this path. Books, notes, and even some practical skills, he has the knowledge and abilities ready for when the time comes. With the help of that one teacher, he was able to understand and master the skills at such an early age. He wants to major in the field where the most gruesome displays of human anatomy can be seen. Maybe there, people wouldn’t judge him by his face, but only by his skills.

As he tumble-turns into his thousandth meter, he’s decided. He’ll submit his National Medical Admission Test application, pass the exam, and continue his education at this university’s College of Medicine. With that resolve in mind, he steadily speeds up. 

_ “But first thing’s first. I have to beat this guy once and for all.”  _

Steadily the swimmers’ paces quicken. One pull after the other, they’re on the last seventy-five meters of the event. The tension of the competition is palpable as the audience holds their breath. It’s one of the crucial laps that can turn this slowly tensing air into a full-on sliceable object.

Everyone’s breath hitches as Juza reaches the twenty-five-meter mark, kicks off the wall in a turn, and sprints. Banri followed suit but he couldn’t keep up. Little by little their gap widens until Juza is exactly twenty-five meters ahead of him. Not long after, the representative of the College of Sciences from the Biology department finally puts an end to their four-year-long rivalry as he taps the wall.

Banri is still swimming his last twenty-five meters when he hears the cheers. He is about to scream in frustration when he remembers he is still in the water. When he finally reaches the edge, he’s panting like crazy and sees an outstretched hand to him. A handshake, it says. He ignores it and makes some bubbles to ease his lungs. Once he ascents the pool and gets comforted by his colleagues, he too decides on his future path.

_ “Wait for me, Hyodo. I’ll beat you in your own game.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The degrees here are specific because this is kind of based on my uni's intramurals last year, except our department only had competitors in the 800m & 400m female. I was put in the 400m one cause I can't really swim fast. Anyways, tune in for more JuBan MDSkul AU Shenanigans!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello to those who read, thank you for reading my love-child. This is just the beginning of a series of med-school related shenanigans. Tune in for more. ^_^


End file.
